Rating-dependent parental lock-out for television reception
US5583576A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Sep 11, 1995 |
| Grant date | Dec 10, 1996 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Sep 11, 2015 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04N5/445
- WIPO fieldAudio-visual technology
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A technique for selectively inhibiting television receiving apparatus from displaying those television programs which satisfy predetermined content ratings criteria. Television program information associated with television programs that are receivable by the television receiving apparatus during a selected time interval, such as channel data representing the channels on which the television programs are received and rating data representing the contents of those programs, is stored. A rating code representing the content ratings criteria of those programs which a viewer wishes to inhibit from being displayed also is stored. When a desired channel is selected by the viewer, the stored rating data associated with that channel is compared with the rating code to determine if the television program transmitted on that channel satisfies the predetermined content ratings criteria. If so, the channel on which that television program is transmitted is blocked and the stored television program information associated with those television programs having rating data which do not satisfy the predetermined content ratings criteria then are displayed to permit the viewer to select an acceptabl…
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.